BHCIG/UPA Panel Paper
"Why Public Sector Systems are Different"

ISO 13407 for Government
- in particular Electronic Service Delivery

"The
capability of a system
to enable specified users to achieve specified goals
with effectiveness, productivity, safety and satisfaction."

(For e-gov, safety can be taken as equivalent
to security and trust)

This page uses the processes for Human-Centred Design set out in ISO TR 18529,
the process model derived from the standard ISO 13407:1999 Human-centred
design processes for interactive systems. The page identifies:

Public sector priorities and how they affect application of the standard,
i.e. the particular demands of public sector systems and e-government;

How application of the standard helps the public sector meet these priorities.

Ensure HCD content in systems strategy
(HCD.1)

Process, Purpose and Outcome

Public Sector Priorities

To establish and maintain a focus on stakeholder
and user issues in each part of the organisation which deal with system
markets, concept, development and support.

As a result of successful implementation of
this process:

- marketing will take account of usability, ergonomics and socio-technical
issues

- systems will be targeted to meet users needs and expectations

- planners will consider stakeholder and organisation requirements in
setting out systems strategy

- systems will be more responsive to changes in users (their needs, tasks,
context, etc.)

- the enterprise will be more responsive to changes in its users

- systems are less
likely to be rejected by the market

User-centred design high profile for e-Government.

'Usability, accessibility and trust'.

Citizen-centred Electronic Service Delivery
seen as essential to modernising government.

"The delivery of public services that
are focused on the needs of customers and citizens is one of the central
aims of the Scottish Executive’s strategic vision for the modernisation
of government. Developing a customer/citizen focused approach to the delivery
of public services is an integral element of key cross cutting initiatives
such as Best Value, Community Planning and 21st Century Government. It
is also a central feature of a range of other initiatives in key policy
areas such as health, education, housing, planning and social justice."
(GRF8)

Activities

Contribution by ISO TR 18529

represent stakeholders

collect market
intelligence

define and plan
system strategy

collect market
feedback

analyse user trends

Structure initiatives that relate to HCD.1, such as the people's panel,
and work by the PIU to identify future needs.

Structure user feedback and data collection with inclusion and other
initiatives

Offer a reference model for self-assessment and Process Improvement
at Central, Departmental and Local Authority levels

Plan and manage the HCD process (HCD.2)

Process, Purpose and Outcome

Public Sector Priorities

To specify how the human-centred activities fit
into the whole system lifecycle process and the enterprise.

As a result of successful implementation of
this process:

- the project plan will allow for iteration and incorporation of user
feedback

- resources will be allocated for effective communication between the
design team participants

- potential conflicts and trade-offs between human-centred and other issues
will be reconciled

- human-centred processes will be incorporated into quality systems, procedures
and standards

- human-centred issues
will be supported and promoted within the organisation.

"There are two main risks which departments
have to manage if the benefits of e-government are to be achieved:

Citizen take up – The risk that groups in
society are excluded from the benefits for example those without access
to a computer and the public see no advantage in accessing services electronically
and take up is low.

Supply side barriers – The risk that departments
do not provide the services citizens want to access electronically or
fail to take advantage of new technology to improve services and efficiency
or that IT suppliers do not deliver the intended services to cost, time
and quality requirements." (NAO)

Quality of planning and management very variable.

Organisational fragmentation can make this more difficult.

Multiple stakeholders makes planning and management more difficult.

Deadlines can become political and undermine user involvement and feedback.

'Identifying users' a priority (OGC)

"..initiatives that span multiple agencies require a disproportionate
amount of political backing and funding. The result is that over 60% of
e-government projects are doomed to failure." (Gartner Group)

"..departments may not provide the services that people want online,
or may fail to deliver projects on time, within budget and up to the desired
quality. Departments need to change the way they operate to achieve e-government
and this requires strong leadership" (NAO)

Activities

Contribution by ISO TR 18529

consult stakeholders

plan user involvement

select human-centred
methods

ensure a human-centred
approach

plan HCD activities
manage HC activities

champion HC approach

support HCD

Compatible with OGC Gateway reviews - would help get a good result.

Avoid common failure modes found by NAO/PAC.

Manage inclusion agenda.

Address main risks to e-gov.

Specify the stakeholder and organisational
requirements (HCD.3)

Process, Purpose and Outcome

Public Sector Priorities

To establish the requirements of the organisation and other interested
parties for the system. This process takes full account of the needs,
competencies and working environment of each relevant stakeholder in the
system.

As a result of successful implementation of
the process, the following will be defined:

- required performance of new system against operational and functional
objectives

- relevant statutory or legislative requirements

- co-operation and communication between users and other relevant parties

- objectives for the
operation and/or use of the software and hardware components of the system

Lots and lots of requirements.

Probity and traceability, audit trails

trust (should mean more than encryption, but accountability gets
in the way).

Accessibility and needs of lobby groups.

Conflicted approach to risk and innovation.

Requirements of 'political' origin can get in the way.

Greater efficiency for internal users.

“quicker, more convenient and can be designed around the customer"

"Public Services Trust Charter ... emphasis on data management and
data quality. There is concern about the high error rate in some datasets
and public confidence can only be grown by solid assurances in these areas.
From the point of view of bodies wishing to share data there is little
point in sharing if quality cannot be assured."

"..the public may see no advantage in accessing services electronically
and take-up may be low. To overcome this departments need to set take-up
targets and provide incentives such as cost savings to users" (NAO)

"Ease of use – unless new services are easy to use and not complex
there is a risk take up will be low for example, websites that are conservatively
designed, use bureaucratic language and contain no incentives to explore
the site will remain largely unused."

" Benefits – the benefits for the public of interacting with departments
on-line must be clear or else demand and subsequent take up will remain
low."

"Re-engineer ways of working – departments may fail to re-engineer
services and ways of working believing that technology induced change
will be minimal and that the benefits will be modest. In doing so they
will fail to realise the benefits of e-government in terms of improved
efficiency and service delivery because they will rely on existing increasingly
inefficient channels of service delivery."

"User focus – if departments do not sufficiently understand citizen
needs and fail to provide services in the way that meets them it will
lead to low take up of services delivered on-line. For example if departments
only replicate existing services on-line they will fail to secure the
improvements offered by innovative on-line solutions to service delivery."

"Individual members of the public interact with and have an interest
in the work of public service providers in a number of different capacities
and "wearing a number of different hats" - as customers, citizens and
members of communities of place and interest. This is an important factor
that needs to be taken into account in developing effective mechanisms
for seeking feedback from and consulting with members of the public."
(GRF8)

Activities

Contribution by ISO TR 18529

clarify system
goals

analyse stakeholders

assess H&S
risk

define system

generate requirements

set quality in use objectives

Structure to key activity - mediate between political imperatives and
technical solutions.

QIU objectives can provide meaningful Performance Indicators. e.g. passport
processing time. Break out from transaction-level criteria. Support Public
Service Agreements.

Understand and specify the context of
use (HCD.4)

Process, Purpose and Outcome

Public Sector Priorities

To identify, clarify and record the characteristics
of the stakeholders, their tasks and the organisational and physical environment
in which the system will operate.

As a result of successful implementation of
this process the following will be achieved:

- definition of the characteristics of the intended users

- definition of the tasks the users are to perform

- definition of the organisation and environment in which the system is
used

- implications for design made explicit

- the context of use
is available and used at all relevant points in the lifecycle.

Wide range of user types for e-gov including those
with lack of access and ability to use IT "People have different needs.
Departments, therefore, need to have a good understanding of the needs and
preferences of the users of their services. The elderly for example, have
a range of requirements depending on their income, health, general well-being
and where they live. Other groups such as students, children, parents, the
unemployed and businesses will have different requirements. There is, however,
considerable variation in the quality of information which departments have
on their key users and client groups for example on the frequency and ways
in which citizens access government services." (NAO)

Expectations of multiple delivery channels.

Internal/external changes.

Changes between departments.

Need to find incentives for people to use ESD.

".. people without access to computers could be excluded from the
benefits of online services. Departments may be able to compensate for
this by promoting key services for specific groups, such as old people,
that are provided in the same place." (NAO)

"departments may increasingly need to use intermediaries such as
banks, building societies, post offices, retail outlets to provide services
to citizens as people already have experience of transacting with these
organisations on a day-to-day basis." (NAO)

"All
government sector agencies should put in place appropriate management
information to regularly monitor usage of their Web sites and electronic
services, and to 'play back' this information to the content providers
and divisions responsible for originating Web materials and Internet services."
(NAO)

For service quality, almost all metrics at transaction level rather than
task.

For e-gov, metrics are implementation rather than usage (see NAO report).

“in return for additional resources delivery organisations are therefore
being asked to agree stretching targets for the take-up of e-services.”

A systematic way of measuring customer feedback will be introduced for
April 2001. This will be followed by a programme of work designed to achieve
a year on year increase in the numbers of our ‘customers’ who are "very
satisfied" with the information or support service provided. We are committed
to publicising the results of customer feedback. For 1999-00 we replied
to 85% of Ministerial correspondence within 15 days. The target for 2001-02
is 90%, in 2002-03 91% and in 2003-04 92%.

SOCITM and other customer satisfaction benchmarks done regularly but
not as part of lifecycle

"Public sector organisations are less likely to analyse feedback
from customers to monitor trends or identify potential service improvements
than to respond to individual cases." (GRF8)

"...surveys that are targeted upon people who have had recent experience
of using a particular service are more likely to provide information that
can be used to inform decision making. However, a relatively small proportion
of customer surveys are targeted on frequent or recent service users."
(GRF8)

Activities

Contribution by ISO TR 18529

specify context
of evaluation

evaluate for requirements

evaluate to improve
design

evaluate against
system requirements

evaluate against
required practice

evaluate in use

HCD evaluation should meet the needs of both the system designers and
the political evaluation community.

Meaningful metrics. Usage not availability.

Interpretation of usage statistics. Feedback linked to lifecycle

Introduce and operate the system (HCD.7)

Process, Purpose and Outcome

Public Sector Priorities

To establish the human-system aspects of the support and implementation
of the system.

As a result of successful implementation of
this process:

- the needs of the stakeholders of the system will be communicated to
the project

- the management of change, including the responsibilities of users and
developers, will be specified

- the support requirements of end-users, maintainers and other stakeholders
will be addressed

- there will be compliance to health and safety procedures

- local customisation of the system will be supported

- user reactions will
be collected and the resulting changes to the system reported back to
stakeholders.

Change management within Civil Service - large
changes to structure, market, information flow.

E-gov roll-out high profile and can't be seen
to fail.

"Partnerships with other organisations
are needed to deliver integrated IT services"